Jidai Matsuri, or Festival of the Ages, is a festival held every year on October 22, the anniversary of the founding of Kyoto. It consists of a large procession that runs from the Imperial Palace to the Heian Shrine, and the performers are dressed in traditional costumes from almost every period of Japanese history in addition to famous historical figures and about 2000 participants, and the process takes two hours until the entire procession passes before the eyes of viewers.
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Jidai Matsuori
The festival is organized under the supervision of officials at the Heian Shrine, and both the festival and shrine were established in 1895 to celebrate Kyoto’s history and culture. A few years earlier, in 1868, the capital was moved to Tokyo after having been in Kyoto for more than a thousand years. Despite the short life of the festival, it is one of the three most famous Kyoto festivals, along with Gion Matsuri in July and Oi Matsuri in May.
Kyoto
The costumes and historical figures displayed in the march cover special cultures for nearly 1,100 years, during which Kyoto was the national capital. The march is separated into historical periods and then divided into topics, including about twenty different subjects, so the show begins with characters from the Meiji period in 1868 and then continues in reverse chronological order until the beginning of the Heian period in 781.
march
The procession is chaired by honorary commissioners of the festival, riding in horse-drawn carts in the mid-nineteenth century style. Among the commissioners are figures such as the governor of Kyoto Prefecture, the mayor of Kyoto, and the city council head, who are followed by the most famous symbols of the Meiji throne. There is also a marching division with drums, flutes, and soldiers who fought with the imperial forces, as well as some prominent figures of that era, such as Sakamoto Ryuma.
Convoys
The largest group in the show represented the role of the luxurious convoys that the shoguns sent to represent it at important imperial ceremonies in Kyoto during the Edo period (1603-1867). The three most important officials ride on horseback and there is also a written board carried by attendees that officials use when traveling, then followed by a much smaller group consisting of about half a dozen women from that period with a princess sitting on a platform with wheels.
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Over the course of two hours, the show covers a distance of two kilometers from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to the Heian Jingo Mausoleum, a brilliantly assembled parade of 2,000 members including 70 horses, oxen, and numerous vehicles. Reserved seats (for a fee) are recommended for use at Kyoto Imperial Palace, Oyki-dori Street and along Hyan Jingu-Michi Street for the best parade view.
“Jidai Matsuori” ages festival in the Japanese city of Kyoto
The Festival of Ages is held every year on October 22, the anniversary of the founding of Kyoto
A large procession walks from the Imperial Palace to the Heian Shrine
